Viking Heart (The MacLomain Series: Viking Ancestors Book 3) Page 19

  The three ships closed in and came alongside. Roars rose up but none as loud as the man who leapt into the boat. He might be wearing a helmet with a piece of metal that ran down the center of his face, but there was no mistaking the ferocious obsidian eyes.

  Kol.

  Dressed in a sleeveless, black leather jerkin and pants, his tattooed muscular arms became a lethal weapon as he swung both a double-edged axe and a sword as he took up arms in front of her. Within moments, Kjar jumped down beside him, a wild look in his eyes as he started to slowly swing an axe round and round over his head.

  Jesus, look at the two of them.

  If she were the enemy, she’d be jumping overboard.

  Amber flinched as metal started clanging. Though Kjar was certainly a sight to see, her worried eyes stayed locked on Kol. Fear lodged in her throat as far too many warriors rushed him. But she soon realized he could more than take care of himself. He spun once, running his axe across the guts of two men while running his sword through another.

  When one of the warriors fell nearby, she leaned over and yanked a dagger out of his hand then slowly stood, back against the mast. Palms slick, she held up the dagger and kept scanning all sides of her.

  Only then did she realize nobody else was boarding. Instead, the ships were cozied around theirs. Naðr’s men formed a wall, weapons at the ready, arrows trained and cocked on any Kol and Kjar didn’t wipe out. And if she wasn’t mistaken, any who came too close to her.

  Why weren’t they boarding?

  Why weren’t they helping?

  Then she realized.

  This was a slaughter that belonged to Kol and Kjar.

  A revenge of passion so it seemed based on the way they took men down fast while seemingly toying with others. Or so said the daggers Kol threw into the shoulders of some and the thighs of others while sword fighting even more. Eventually, he’d return to his original injured victims and run them through.

  It was methodical and well-thought out. Sometimes he would punch a man, twist his blade into a previous wound then let them struggle through pain as he attacked another. She knew he was dangerous, she’d seen as much when that guy had tried to slap her, but she had no idea what he was capable of until now.

  The pure brutality.

  Yet something about it captivated her. There was a certain beauty, almost creativity to the way he worked his body and weapons. Almost like a well-orchestrated dance. How could she find beauty in death? Because that’s exactly what this was. An ebb and flow between life and death.

  Cries rose up as men fell fast.

  Nobody could touch Kol and Kjar.

  They were too damn good.

  All the while, the ship swayed softly and varying shades of pale pink, purple and mauve burst across the sea. It was a beautiful morning at complete odds with the mini-war taking place around her. Yet Naðr’s men stayed silent, sentinels overseeing a quick battle.

  Within minutes, silence didn’t just reign from above but below as the last man fell.

  Well, almost.

  Kjar pulled Amber’s shaking body against him, her back to his front, as Kol tore off his helmet, wrapped a hand around Tony’s neck and drove him back against the mast. Tony was tall, but Kol towered over him. Shaking with rage, Kol’s eyes were crazed, beyond lethal.

  Tony tried to speak, but Kol squeezed his windpipe and shook his head, words deep and grave. “Not yet.”

  The shipwright wrapped a strong, protective arm across her chest and murmured in her ear. “He fights to keep the dragon repressed.”

  There was nothing but stark terror in Tony’s eyes as a wide plume of wetness blossomed over the front of his pants. He was pissing himself. She probably would too if she were in his position.

  Kol cocked his head in her direction. Though his eyes didn’t meet hers, she knew he spoke to her. “Did he touch you?” His words grew deeper, more guttural, hoarse. “Did he hurt you?”

  She knew what he meant and it had nothing to do with a dagger pressed to her throat.

  “No,” she whispered then cleared her throat, voice stronger but still wobbly. “He never had the chance.”

  Kol’s eyes slowly returned to Tony’s and he released the windpipe just enough that Tony was able to drag in a few shallow breaths. Then Kol waited several long moments before he ground out, “Where is Alrek?”

  “Gone,” Tony croaked. “Magic.”

  “How did he infiltrate us? Who is he in league with?”

  When Tony didn’t respond, Kol placed the tip of his dagger against the corner of Tony’s eye. “If you don’t answer I’ll do something to this eye that will make you wish I started by cutting off your cock.”

  Shaking, Tony squeezed his eyes shut and started stuttering and rambling. “A-a seer. O-one of the seers. She’s s-shared her magic.”

  Kol’s eyes narrowed. “We know about Yrsa.”

  Tony tried to shake his head. “No. Not her. Another.”

  Kol tensed then continued. “Which one?”

  “I don’t know.” Tony shook harder as Kol dug the blade a little deeper. “I swear I don’t. I’ve n-never seen her. He d-doesn’t use her name.”

  Evidently he believed him because Kol switched his line of questioning. “How were you and Nathan connected to Alrek’s father, King Rennir?”

  When Tony again hesitated, Kol grabbed his hand and twisted his wrist so hard bone cracked. A cry rang out, but Kol held him in place. “Answer now or the eye goes.”

  Amber couldn’t help but notice he broke the wrist of the hand that had held the dagger against her throat.

  “All along it’s been the other seer behind everything,” Tony gasped. “She h-helped Rennir and now Alrek. She’ll stop at nothing to get what she wants.”

  “And what is it that she wants?” Kol said softly.

  “Everything,” he said. “Power over the future. D-dragon magic. Total annihilation.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Rage churned in his gut as Kol stared at the useless coward. He wanted to kill him a thousand different ways. But Naðr had given him strict orders. Bring the traitor home for more questioning. Still, it almost took more strength than he had to drag Tony across the blood-slicked hull and hand him over to one of his men. “Take him back to our King. Make sure you tie him well so he can’t take his own life beforehand.”

  His brother’s man nodded and dragged Tony up the ladder by his broken wrist.

  Then it took all of four long strides to get to Amber. Renewed fury filled him as he took in her bedraggled hair, big sad eyes and the tear down the front of her tunic as well as the shredded strings on the front of her pants. He scooped her up and strode to the other side where he handed her up to another man. “Get her off this damn ship.”

  Then he and Kjar followed.

  As soon as he jumped down into his ship, he roared, “Gain some distance then burn it into the sea.”

  Amber was leaning against Kjar but not for long. Kol again scooped her up then sat, pulling a cloak tightly around her. He rested her head against his chest and wrapped his arms around her as the wind carried them away.

  “Gods, I’m so sorry this happened to you,” he whispered, stroking her hair and trying to soothe her trembling body as best he could without touching her too much. He figured she’d been touched enough lately and not in a good way. Though he knew she wasn’t raped, she had certainly come close.

  She clenched his tunic and made gasping sounds as if she sobbed but when her eyes turned to the fire-lit arrows being shot at the other ship, they were dry.

  Kol stroked her hair and murmured, “You can cry. It’s all right.”

  Amber slowly shook her head as her turbulent eyes watched the sail catch on fire. Her voice was distant when she spoke. “I can’t. Not since the night my Mom left my Dad. Not since the darkness.”

  Though she didn’t know it yet, they had been bonded when the tattoo appeared on her wrist. Because of that he knew exactly why she hated the dark. His heart bro
ke at the fear she had felt as a child, the helplessness, the absolute sense of loss.

  After all, he related far more than she knew.

  Kol didn’t try to pull her back against his chest. He understood her need to watch the ship burn then slowly slip into the deep depths of the sea. He understood the need to watch her enemies go down. But he wasn’t above running his hands through the tangled knots of her hair, subconsciously trying to remove not only Alrek’s touch but his scent from her.

  He wanted the enemy king’s head rotting on a pike.

  While Kol had experienced rage before, mostly when it came to defending and protecting his brothers, he never felt what he had when Amber was taken. It was as if his dragon fire had been eternally doused. As if all that brought happiness to the world was ripped away in an instant. It was that feeling, this crippling emotion that continued to churn in his gut even though she was safe, that had kept him from growing too close to any woman.

  There was too much pain and risk in caring so deeply.

  Now he feared it might be too late. That somehow, though he had been determined against it, his heart was taking over. A heart he didn’t know could feel so strongly.

  Once the enemy ship at last slipped beneath the water, Amber slumped against him. Though her cloak was still wrapped tight, he motioned to Kjar and received another cloak. He wrapped it over his shoulders then cocooned it around her until she was nestled and warm.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Kol kissed the top of her head and murmured, “Sleep, Little Dove.”

  Not long after, her breathing slowed and she slept.

  Kol gently slipped the satchel containing the stone and cylinder around her neck. He was so proud that she'd had the presence of mind to leave it behind or things might be going very differently right now. Having been bonded with her, he knew she could now understand his language without it. Kjar speculated it was because of her new tattoo combined with her gift. Even so, the stone and cylinder had to stay with her.

  The wide half-circle of a deep orange sun was cresting the horizon as two ships went in one direction and one went in the other. Far colder at this distance out, they navigated around shallow chunks of ice as they headed East-Northeast toward an area so secret none but the Sigdir brothers and Kjar knew about it.

  Tall, rugged cliffs rose up, jutting over the sea in such a way that the shore appeared to be nothing more than treacherous water crashing against rock. But it wasn’t. Only accessible at low tide, their timing was perfect.

  Yet they had to navigate this in a very certain way.

  Kjar shimmied up onto the prow before he nodded at the man controlling the rudder then started to make hand gestures that helped steer them in. One wrong move and the shallow base of the ship would scrape one of dozens of rocks that shot up from beneath.

  While Kol typically preferred to sail Skeid warships for their pure size, he had specifically chosen this Snekkja for what they did now because of its thin, projecting hull. Though it couldn’t hold more than forty men, it was the only ship that could maneuver the narrow alleyways that led into this particular harbor.

  It wasn’t long before they took the last tight turn and rowed into a hidden cave. They pulled alongside a dock built against rock and men started to tie them off.

  “Amber,” he murmured and cupped her cheek. “Time to wake. Veronica is here.”

  Her eyes fluttered open and it took about everything he had not to urge her back to sleep. Exhausted, she sat up, groggy, and looked around until her eyes locked on her sister.

  Though he knew Veronica was weak and Raknar didn’t like her doing it, she climbed down the ladder. Amber left Kol’s lap and met her halfway, embracing her sister tightly.

  “I’m so glad you’re okay,” Veronica murmured, tears in her eyes.

  “I’m fine,” Amber said. “Really.”

  Her sister pulled back, cupped her cheeks and studied her face. “You so are not.” Her eyes met Kol’s over Amber’s shoulder. “Thanks for saving her. I wicked love you, my friend.” When he nodded, Veronica pulled her sister after her. “Time to get you fed and to bed.”

  As soon as Amber made it to the top of the ladder, arms and legs shaking, Raknar pulled her against him. Though surprisingly opposed to her being in another man’s arms, Kol knew damn well it wasn’t about him right now. So he spoke to Raknar telepathically.

  “She is weak, brother. Carry her.”

  Raknar nodded, scooped her up and strode into the recesses of the cave with Kjar alongside. By the time Kol joined Veronica off-ship, she was wiping away tears and her voice was shaky. “What happened to her?”

  “She wasn’t raped,” he assured, wrapping a supportive arm around her shoulders as they walked. “She just went through a lot…saw a lot.”

  Kol didn’t need to ask after Matthew. He could feel his presence close. The baby was here and safe. He squeezed Veronica’s shoulder. “This is a lot after giving birth. Are you well, sister?”

  “I’m fine.” She waved away his concern. “Just so worried about my baby sister.” Her pace slowed and her words were barely more than a whisper. “They could have killed her.”

  “But they didn’t.” Kol stopped, cupped her chin and made her look at him, made her see the strength in his eyes. “All they did was show her things we both hoped she’d never see.” Though he didn’t want to say it, he did. “And then she saw me do things she probably didn’t want to see either.”

  Veronica closed her eyes, shook her head then met his gaze. “You fought. You killed.” She grasped his arms. “You did what you had to do.” Her jaw rolled and she fought back more tears. “No doubt it sucked for her to see but don’t you dare feel bad for doing whatever you had to do to save her, okay?”

  Kol appreciated her concern. Until this moment, he hadn’t allowed himself to think about what might happen if Amber hated him for the violence, for what he was capable of. Because everything she saw was him at his rawest. But that was the root of him, who he was when it came to protecting those he cared about. The idea of her hating him for it was beyond comprehension but something he needed to consider and even respect.

  “Kol, are you hearing me?”

  He offered Veronica the best smile he was capable of considering the circumstances. “Yes. All is well.”

  Veronica frowned. “You’re out there somewhere, sweetie.” She studied him before her eyes widened slightly. She squeezed his hands, her words a whisper. “You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

  Kol frowned. “In love?”

  “Yeah, like me and Raknar.” She shot him a crooked grin. “Like Megan and Naðr.”

  “No,” he said.

  She pressed her hand over his heart and cocked her head. “Does it get tight here every time you think about her?” She touched his forehead. “Are you thinking about her constantly? So often, it’s hard to focus on anything else?”

  “No.” But it did. And he was. Too much.

  “No?”

  “Not at all.” He brushed away her hand and scowled. Then he wrapped his elbow with hers. “Come. Raknar will be worried about you.”

  Veronica chuckled. “Or you just can’t stand being away from her.”

  Kol’s frown deepened.

  She shrugged. “Hey, I don’t blame you. She’s pretty great.”

  Great? The word didn’t nearly describe her.

  Beautiful. Strong. Incomparable.

  Those were just a few words that came to mind.

  “Oh, look at you,” Veronica murmured, a sly grin on her face as she eyed him. “Holy hell.”

  Kol kept scowling but couldn’t help but ask what had been weighing on his mind since Amber had said it. “She said she hasn’t cried since your mother left your father. Is that true?”

  Veronica seemed a little startled by the question but answered honestly. “I don’t know.”

  She sighed. “Amber was home alone when Mom called it quits. She never shared much about that night. It
was traumatic for her though. We found her curled up in the corner of her room the next day. She’d ripped down her curtains and said she wanted lots of light. She never allowed curtains to be hung in her room again. It was a rough time for all of us. She was eight, I was ten, Megan, twelve. We became a solid unit after that, Megan our stalwart leader. Had to be. Dad was flying solo with his new woman and Mom was, well, doing her own thing for a while.”

  She met his eyes. “But I sense you have a good idea about what happened that night.” Her brows rose a little. “Ah, the dragon bond through the tattoo.”

  Kol nodded. “I sensed your mother said nothing to Amber the night she left, yes?”

  Sadness pulled Veronica’s lips down. “Mom was hurting. She made mistakes. Did she leave that night without talking with Amber or even bringing her with her? Yes.”

  She shook her head. “I get the pain Mom felt, but Megan never has. If you asked her the same questions, she’d say Mom abandoned her child that night even though she forgave her years later. The truth was Mom came to her senses and returned for Amber within an hour, but Dad wouldn’t let her in. The cops were called. It was a fiasco. In the end the police decided it was best to let Amber stay put until the details were worked out.”

  Kol shook his head. “It sounds like it was very hard on Amber.” He peered at Veronica. “Yet you stand by your mother.”

  “I do,” Veronica said softly. “I just remember the nights Dad got home late. I remember Mom struggling to make ends meet when he gambled away our money.” Her eyes narrowed as they grew closer to the lit cave ahead. “And I remember the other woman he was sleeping with. She was a friend of the family, but we all saw the way she and Dad looked at each other. Kids tend to see things most adults can’t.”

  Kol squeezed her shoulder, appreciative of all she finally shared with him as they entered a wide cave. Long stalactites dripped far and wide around a fire. Amber leaned against Kjar, sipping from a mug, eyes on Kol when he entered. He meant his words to be strong when he said them, but they barely came out as a whisper. “She has demons.”